Evening and Winter

It was very late at night, yet a young man was running on the rooftop of houses. His hooded white Victorian cloak blown by the wind as he sprints, his speed and parkour giving him the upper-hand from the police hurtling behind him from the road despite carrying a large sack over his shoulder.

”Stop right there!! ” one of the two police officers yelled and the boy looked down with his deep-ocean blue eyes, but the teenager playfully taunts the police officers by throwing a small bar of gold, that the officers panicked to catch immediately.

”So long, suckers! ” the young man had his two fingers above his eyes, the wind blowing both his Alabaster coloured cloak and his short ruffled black hair. A big arrogant grin was on his striking appearance, despite disguised by a white and black patterned Venetian half mask, before disappearing from the polices sight.

”Tch! He got away again! ” the police were frustrated, stomping his feet to the ground. ”You have to stop breaking into peoples houses, you bastard!! ” the police man shouted.

”The Alabaster is no ordinary delinquent; hes got brains and guts more than normal bastards. ” The other was ruffling his hair in the same frustration.

The teenager stopped to stand on the rooftop of a tall empty building, gazing down to the bright street lights of Paris reflected on his blue eyes. The wind continued to blow his cloak and hair as he placed down the sack he was carrying, then stepping to the edge as he played with his pocket knife with his right hand, his silver chain earring attached to his left earlobe making a light rustle from the breeze.

”Maybe I could go for another, ” he smiled as he folded his pocket knife with a flick of his wrist, showing his mischievous nature. He jumped down to run on the roofs of houses, jumping from one to another until a somewhat big residence caught his interest. He leaped to the casing of the big window, then almost effortlessly unlocked the window from outside and opened it. ”Hm, I guess nobodys here. ” He mumbled as he observed the room he stepped into. From its appearance, it was a bedroom owned by a daughter of a fine family.

”Good night, Dad. ” A voice of a girl was heard from outside the bedroom door.

”Oh, crap. ” The boy was not expecting someone about to enter, and he was too far from the window to escape in time. A beautiful teenage girl with straight light blonde hair entered the room, then closing the door behind her before her emerald eyes caught sight of her opened window.

”Why is my window opened? I thought I locked it, ” the young girl approached her window to look out, then decided to sit down on the carpet in front of the fireplace at the corner of the room. Loneliness was all she felt as she looked up to the ceiling, then freezing his shock when she saw the Alabaster at the upper corner of the room, keeping himself above the floor with his limbs.

”Shit… ” was the thought in his head when he was discovered.

”What the-?! ” the girl was surprised, her voice caught the Alabaster off guard and his hand slipped, causing him to fall down to the floor. The next moment, he was on top of the young girl, and from that close distance, the young girl was able to notice his attractive appearance through his mask. ”A-Are you the Alabaster…? ” she recognized the colour of his cloak, and the boy slightly flinched from her question.

”Eve? Is everything okay?! ” a man was running up the stairs.

”Crap! ” the boy was trying to get up and escape, but the blonde girl wrapped her arms around his head and squeezed him in her arms. ”W-What are you?! ” the boy was trying to free himself, but the young lady kept her grasp.

”Eve! ” a middle-aged man opened the door to see the scene. In a rapid motion, the Alabaster hits the young girls waist to weaken her and hold her in his arm as he sat down and pointed his pocket knife at the girls cheek.

”Don move, ” the boys voice was cold and threatening, causing the man to freeze as the boy stood up and stepped back towards the opened window. Eve could faintly feel the heartbeat of the young man, disguised by his warmth.

”D-Dad… ” Eve was feeling nervous as the boy stopped in front of the window, but the boy moved his knife away and folded it back with a flick of his wrist, then smiled and pushed the girl forwards away from him before he leaped out of the window.

”Hey, wait! ” the man ran to the window, and the young boy stopped on the roof in front of the window a few metres apart.

”Au revoir, ” the Alabaster bowed with his left arm swaying his cloak aside, then grinning before jumping over a taller building, out of sight of the man.

”Tch! ” the man was annoyed, then turned to his daughter. ”Are you okay, Eve? ” he kneeled down to his daughter.

”Im fine, Dad. ” Eve smiled, ”I thought you could catch him, but it turns out that he has a weapon… ” she laughed nervously.

”Im glad you
e fine, Eve. ” The man hugged his daughter.

***

It was another night and Eve is already tucked into bed, but she couldn sleep and was constantly tossing and turning. The image of the Alabaster was in her head since the night he broke in, but fear wasn what she felt from that encounter. Instead, she remembered he had a warm impression, an impression that he is actually gentle and kind deep down inside.

”I can sleep… ” Eve sat down and decided to open her window, and thats when she saw the Alabaster sitting on the roof of the house a few meters away outside her window. He was playing with his knife when Eves eyes sparkled in excitement, then she went back to her room to get something. The Alabaster was busy playing with his knife when a paper ball suddenly hits the side of his head, and he turned his head to see Eve waving at him. The Alabaster just slightly lowered his eyelids in annoyance as he lightly groaned before turning back to play with his knife, ignoring her. Eve pouted and made another paper ball to throw at him, this time it impacted harder than the previous one.

”Grr… This girl… ” the boy took one of her paper balls to form into a smaller yet firmer ball, then tossing it back to her to hit her forehead. The impact made Eves head shoved backwards, and a red mark was left in the center of her forehead.

”Ow… ” she rubbed her forehead as the Alabaster turned his attention back to his knife, but she wasn giving up. Another paper ball hits the boys head, and the boy finally stood up in frustration facing her.

”What do you want with me?! ” he shouted.

”Shh! ” Eve had her index finger in front of her lips, making the Alabaster pause with furrowed brows. And Eve signaled him to come to the window, which he reluctantly obeyed and squatted on the stool of the window.

”What do you want? ” he asked her bitterly, with an annoyed look on his face, rude.

”You
e the Alabaster, right? ” Eve asked him.

”Im out of here, bye. ” The boy turned around to leave with the same expression on his face.

”No, don leave! ” Eve wrapped her arms around his waist to prevent him from leaving, the two ended up falling to the floor and making a loud thud.

”What the heck is wrong with you? Let go of me! ” the boy patted her arms, laid down on the floor with her hugging him from behind.

”Eve, are you okay? I heard a thud, ” Eves fathers voice was heard, and the Alabaster tried to escape but Eve prevented him by positioning herself on him and she covered his mouth with her hand.

”Its nothing, Dad! I just dropped my jewelry box, don come in, its embarrassing! ” Eve responded to her father, while keeping the boy under her and silenced.

”A-Alright, then. Good night, ” her father bought her excuse and left.

”Phew… ” Eve sighed in relieve as she removed her hand.

”Why are you hiding me? ” the boy was confused but suspicious.

”My fathers going to arrest you when he knows you
e here, and I don want that. ” Eve replied, ”I know you
e a nice person, Alabaster. ” She smiled, making the teen boy slightly blush in embarrassment.

”Get off me, ” he grabbed her shoulders to push her, and sat down in front of her as he glanced away. ”Is your dad a police man or something? ” he asked Eve.

”Hes an investigator, senior investigator of the Paris Police. ” Eve replied, ”My father is Taylor Anderson, and my name is Evening Anderson. ” She introduced herself.

”Evening? What a weird name, ” the boy said.

”Hey, thats rude… ” Eve was offended playfully as she pouted, ”Whats your name? ” she asked with a smile.

”I don have any, ” the boy responded as he looked away, in a tone that made Eve know he doesn want to tell his name. Eve placed her warm hands on his cheeks and made him turn to her, giving him a strong gaze.

”Why are you so rude? I just want to be your friend, ” Eve told him with a soft voice.

”Friend? ” the boy raised an eyebrow, ”How could I trust you? You Parisians are rot-hearted, ” he meant what he said, glaring at her with sharp eyes.

”Rot-hearted…? ” Eve didn expect his genuine dislike, and she removed his mask to reveal his face without giving the boy a chance to react. ”You
e… Japanese… ” Eve was calmly surprised.

”Hey, give it back. ” The boy snatched his mask back, but finds it pointless to put it back on.

”Im sorry… ” Eve felt bad, but placed her hand on his. ”Do you have something against Parisians? ” she asked him hesitantly, and the boy clenched his grip as he looked down to his mask in his hands.

”My family immigrated here 5 years ago, and got murdered. Even when many people were walking by, nobody came to help, they let my family die. ” Hatred and anger were in his voice, while Eve was surprised, there she thought he was somewhat racist. She felt bad for him, and patted his head.

”I… Im so sorry… ” Eve doesn know what to say, but the boy pushed away her hand and stood up.

”Enough of that, I don need comfort anymore. ” Alabaster walked to the opened window as he puts on his mask, ”Adieu, Evening-san. ” He stepped onto the stool, ready to jump out.

”Wait! ” Eve grabbed his cloak, ”Will you come again? ” she asked him.

”Whatever, ” the boy tugged his cloak out of her hand, then jumped to the roof outside her window.

”Au revoir, my friend~! ” Eve waved her hand with a big smile on her face, but Alabaster didn look back and simply continued his way back to the tall building.

”Weirdo, ” was the words he mumbled.

***